An Ecosystem Approach as a Design Principle for a PSS-Specific Business Simulation

Working in Product-Service Systems (PSS) differs from traditional working contexts. The role of actors participating in value co-creation in dynamic, complex and open systems was found to be particularly challenging. Specific sets of competencies have been identified as helpful to cope with the specific demands of working in PSS. One basic requirement to successfully manage the dynamic interplay between heterogeneous actors is that the individuals fully understand the principles of the system in which they are working. We present a concept that aims to convey a holistic understanding of PSS to students and to develop those competencies identified as critical for PSS environments. We designed a business simulation as an ecosystem combining the advantages of different learning methods as an open and interactive system. With this concept, we suggest a further development in terms of serious games designed as ecosystems in PSS training. They carry the potential to let students experience situations vividly, illustrating the open, dynamic and complex character of PSS work environments. Coping with these PSS-specific scenarios fosters the development of essential competencies. The students become active co-creators of learning content due to the extensive need for coordination, communication and reflection within the simulation. The fully web-based design of the simulation presented allows a real-time monitoring and adjustment of each scenario to meet the needs of heterogeneous groups of students. The implementation of this concept in the academic curriculum is still at an early phase, but first evaluations show this approach to be very promising as a design principle to further develop the discourse on how to teach PSS. Further dissemination as a PSS-specific training tool even for practitioners is planned.